That's the second-best starting sales figure of the group's career, but it wasn't enough to beat Drake. The rapper easily took the top spot on the album chart after his record Nothing Was the Same sold 658,000 copies.

Nevertheless, Mechanical Bull is the third consecutive top-ten album for the Kings. And they did even better in the U.K., where the set debuted at number one to give them their fourth consecutive chart-topper.

Back in the States, Dream Theater and Metallica are also enjoying some time in the top ten. Dream Theater's self-titled album bowed at number seven after selling 34,000 copies, while Metallica's soundtrack to their new concert movie "Through the Never" opened at number nine with 26,000 copies sold.